This week’s Patently Obvious report focuses on the patent holdings of 3PAR, Inc. On September 2, 2010, Hewlett-Packard weathered a bidding war with Dell Computer for 3PAR, offering $2.3 billion, or $24 a share, for the company -- almost $1.15 billion more than Dell's original offer for the company.
In the frenzy of attempting to place the winning bid, neither HP nor Dell fully considered the potential liabilities associated with owning 3PAR's intellectual property. For $2 billion, HP may have purchased the right to settle over $3 billion of new patent lawsuits.
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